The Ghost
by MistyMae
Summary: Henrik Hanssen's son comes to Holby for a work placement authorized by an oblivious Serena Campbell.
1. Chapter 1

Henrik Hanssen took a deep breath just before stepping into the reception area. He glanced over at the canteen, immediately noticing Jac Naylor deep in conversation with nurse Jonny Maconie. He had wanted to speak with her about her planned procedure later in the day involving the latest techniques from Japan, but he didn't particularly care to intrude on their conversation. Nurse Maconie seemed to be emotional and he didn't want to involve himself. Michael Spence was animatedly describing something to Ric Griffin as they waited in line to buy coffee. Michael had definitely learnt his lesson since the plastic surgery scandal, and Henrik had to admit that he did like the man, even if he was indescribably annoying at times. Michael had noticed him and nodded a greeting towards him. Henrik raised his hand in acknowledgment as he tried to avoid anyone else. Making his way to the lift, he realized how late he was. He had been sifting through his E-mails at home when he had noticed one from Maja, a former lover of his. It only contained two lines: _Your son is in London._ The words had made his blood run cold and he was not entirely sure how to react to them. He had spent the most part of his morning in a daze.

"Ah, Mr Hanssen," Serena Campbell greeted as the lift opened.

Henrik had to physically stop himself from groaning out loud. He was most definitely not in the mood for this woman. "Ms Campbell," he nodded, stepping into the lift beside her.

"Going up?" She asked cheerfully.

"Indeed," Henrik answered, stealing a glance in her direction as she pressed for the floor his office was located on. She looked somewhat tired. He realized she was probably taking strain since her mother's stroke. "How are you?" He heard himself say and immediately regretted it as she shot him a suspicious look.

"Fine," she nodded, taking in his slightly frazzled appearance. "Thank you. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied politely. Standing side by side, they both seemed to fall silent.

Serena tried to suppress a smile as she tried to ignore how awkward she suddenly felt. Almost like a school girl. "So," she tried to think of something to say, but her mind seemed to go blank.

"Yes?" Henrik turned to her.

She felt herself panic, desperately trying to think of something to say. "It's a cold day," she blurted out, feeling like kicking herself for the ridiculous comment.

"Yes, it is," he nodded, waiting for the lift to open on his floor. He hesitated at first, not knowing if she was getting out with him or not.

"I'm heading up to Kellar," she answered. She knew she was intelligent, but somehow the man seemed to turn her into a babbling idiot when he caught her off guard.

Henrik nodded and started heading down the corridor towards his office.

"Oh, actually," Serena called out from the lift, narrowly missing being knocked over by the closing lift doors as she jumped out. "There was something I meant to tell you."

"Yes, Ms Campbell?" Henrik spun around to face her.

"I received an E-mail a week ago from a University in Sweden. They were wondering if we were accepting any clinical placements and I agreed to it. They're sending their candidate over today and if all goes well with his placement, I'm hopeful we might accept him on a more permanent basis. By all accounts, he's the top of his class."

Henrik felt the blood drain out of his face. This couldn't possibly be the reason Maja had told him his son was in London?

Serena watched him for a moment. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," he muttered under his breath as he turned away from her intensive gaze, under the pretence of finding the keys to his office in his coat pocket.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked.

Henrik managed to locate his keys and unlock the door to his office before turning to look at her. "About what?"

"Uh, about what I've _jus_t been telling you," she smirked, straightening up.

"That's fine."

"Okay," she nodded, hesitating as she headed back to the lift. He looked ill. Perhaps the mighty Mr Hanssen was in fact like the rest of the mere mortals.

Henrik closed the door behind him, leaning back against it. He had never imagined seeing his son. He had always believed that he would not want to see him after he abandoned him all those years ago. The thought of seeing him brought back some memories of his life with Maja; he had been happy for the first time in his life. She had meant the world to him. But he had allowed his own personal fears and demons to destroy the one good thing he had ever had. There was not one day that went by that he did not think of his son. He would imagine what it would be like to rush home from work to help with homework and how it would feel to watch him grow. He felt he had sabotaged his own chance at happiness. He would not do so to his son.

* * *

Serena had finished her rounds on Kellar, checked up on Jac's progress with her patient on Darwin and even managed to assist Michael with a diagnosis on AAU before waiting impatiently near the canteen for the arrival of Fredrick – their placement student from Sweden. She had promised the dean of the Swedish university that she would take care of Fredrick. He was twenty four, but seemed to be a bit inexperienced. She could tell by how innocent he seemed over the phone. His English was excellent for the most part. The boy had obviously had a good education and his lecturers could not be more complimenting of him.

Serena sighed heavily, leaning against the nearby security desk. She did actually have to do and was tempted to get Antoine Malik to babysit him just as she noticed a taxi pull up and an incredibly tall young man get out. He had dark curly hair and a very intense look on his face. Serena waited for him to step inside before pouncing on him. "Fredrick?"

"Ms Campbell?" The boy smiled, reaching out his hand to greet her.

She was impressed. "How was your trip?" She asked, looking him over. He definitely did not seem like the average twenty four year old.

"It was very pleasant, thank you for asking."

Serena smiled warmly at him. "I'll show you where you can leave your things," she motioned towards the suitcase he was carrying. "And then I just about have enough time to give you a quick tour of the hospital before unleashing you on Michael Spence."

The boy gave her an odd look which told her he hadn't fully understood.

"When I say 'unleash', I mean I'll _introduce_ you to Mr Spence," she smiled.

He nodded, smiling in understanding. "Will I be working in the Acute Admissions Unit throughout my placement?"

"No. I thought you might like to start there and gain experience on each ward. Perhaps in a week or two you'll move onto Kellar and then Darwin."

"I've read about the different wards at Holby," Fredrick said as he stepped into the lift with Serena. "They're fascinating. I would love to meet Professor Hope. I believe his work on the Hertzig device is . . . excellent," he tried to find the correct English word.

"We have a lot of impressive surgeons here at Holby," Serena smiled. The boy reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Your professors seem to think the world of you."

Fredrick gave her a confused look.

"Oh," she smiled sheepishly. "I mean they . . . think you're very good."

"Thank you," he nodded.

"You'll have to do a good job here so that they continue to think so," Serena chuckled.

"Absolutely."

The lift opened and Serena led Fredrick out into the corridor towards her office. It would be a while until they allocated a staff locker for him, so she decided the quickest way would be to have him drop his things in her office. "You can leave your things here," Serena keyed in her passcode and pushed the door open. "I've requested a staff locker for you, but while we wait for one, you can use my office. If you need to get anything, just let me know and I'll let you in."

Fredrick dropped his suitcase and carefully hung his coat up.

"Ready for the grand tour?"

Fredrick nodded expectantly, his eyes wide with excitement. It was almost childlike.

"Follow me," she waited as he closed the door behind him. "This is Kellar ward," she held her hands up, watching as Fredrick looked around in awe. "Impressive, isn't it?"

Fredrick glanced back at her with a smile before turning back to look.

"Ms Campbell, have you seen Ms Naylor?" Henrik asked, reading through the top sheet of a folder as he approached her.

"She's in theatre on Darwin," Serena answered, turning to look at him.

"I thought she was prepping the patient for her Japanese procedure?"

"Oh that's right, that's today," Serena turned to Fredrick. "Fredrick, you might be interested to know that Ms Nayor is going to be attempting a pioneering procedure straight from Japan on a patient today. Perhaps, if you ask Mr Hanssen very nicely," she motioned towards Henrik. "He'll let you observe."

Henrik froze as he looked up from the folder. The young man was standing right in front of him, looking right at him. He seemed to lose the feeing in his arm and the loose papers from his folder flew out, spreading across the floor.

Fredrick quickly bent down to retrieve them while Serena glanced back at Henrik. "He doesn't _have_ to observe," Serena smirked. "I just thought it would a good teaching . . ." she noticed the pale look on his face. "Are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"He _has_," Fredrick answered, holding the papers in his hand, his innocent face suddenly angry.


	2. Chapter 2

Henrik stared back at the young man in shock. He was at a loss for words. What could he possibly say?

"Uh, have you two met?" Serena asked curiously, slightly taken aback by the reaction from both men.

Fredrick held Henrik's gaze for a split second before turning to Serena. "Ms Campbell, please may we continue with the tour?" The angry look in his eyes had instantly been hidden.

"Uh, Malick," she turned to the registrar. "Are you very busy at the moment?"

Malick looked back at her and then at Fredrick, a huge smile covering his face. "I can always make time for you, Ms C."

Serena smiled at the abbreviated version of her name. "Well, then perhaps you could take Fredrick on a quick tour of the hospital?"

"It would be my pleasure," Malick waved Fredrick over. "This is your lucky day, young friend," Malick shook hands with the young man. "You get to take a tour with _me_."

"Mr Malick will show you around and then bring you back to see me so we can discuss your placement. I have to finish off some paper work," Serena smiled, glancing back at Henrik who stood stony faced, watching the young man walk away with Malick. She waited until the two men were out of earshot before turning back to Henrik. "Care to explain what _that_ was about?"

"No, I do not," Henrik replied sternly.

"I'm presuming you two know each other?" Serena pressed on, obviously not taking the hint.

Henrik took a deep breath, turning away from her. He knew she would only interrogate Fredrick if he didn't give her an answer she would believe. "I knew his parents."

"And I'm guessing they're not fans of yours?"

"They . . . I haven't seen them for a long time."

"Okay," Serena nodded, clearly waiting for an elaboration.

Henrik was being irritated with this line of questioning. "We didn't exactly see eye to eye on certain things, and I ended up hurting them."

"Right," Serena glanced around Kellar, wondering if anyone else had noticed the tension between him and Fredrick. "And you're okay with him working here?"

"This is a teaching hospital and probably one of the best in the country in my humble opinion. I cannot expect Fredrick to leave because of the history I have had with his parents," he answered, knowing full well that in truth, he was curious to see how his son had turned out.

"Good to know," Serena smiled.

Henrik could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe him. "I would appreciate it if this stayed between us and that you try not to involve Fredrick."

"Of course, goes without saying."

Henrik regarded her for a moment before turning and heading back to his office. He would page Jac to come and see him in his office. He was desperately trying to avoid running into Fredrick.

Serena watched the tall man walk away. There was definitely something he was hiding, but she felt he was entitled to his own personal life. She would respect his privacy, just as she expected others to respect her own. As long as it didn't affect the hospital, it had nothing to do with her. She would ignore her own curiosity.

* * *

Fredrick had been at Holby for almost two days, shadowing Malick and then Ric. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. He had proven to be an incredibly fast learner and he was talented in medicine.

Serena was attempting to finish her paperwork in her office on Kellar when she heard an alarm go off. She was quickly alerted to a problem when she heard Nurse Lane call for help. Shoving her chair aside, she raced out onto the ward, searching for the source of the alarm. She noticed Fredrick and Chantelle leaning over an elderly patient. "What happened?" Serena demanded as she got to the patient.

"He's arresting," Chantelle cried.

Serena quickly moved Fredrick out of her way, noticing the chest tube in his hands. "Why are you holding a chest tube?"

"I was removing it," Fredrick answered, clearly flustered.

"You were doing _what_?" Serena hissed, desperately trying to resuscitate the patient. "Page Mr Griffin," she called to Chantelle.

Chantelle quickly left her post and raced over to the Nurses' station. By the time Ric had reached Kellar, the patient had died. Serena watched as the porters wheeled his body away, covered in a white sheet. She spun around to face Fredrick. "What the hell made you think you were capable of removing a chest tube?"

Fredrick took a deep breath, knowing full well that he had made a mistake. "I should not have done it alone. But I read his patient record. His chest tube was inserted over six days ago which could indicate a rise in the risk of infection. His breathing has improved greatly. He has a respiratory rate of less than twenty four breaths per minute. There is no bubbling or fluctuation in the water-seal chamber during expiration or coughing. I examined his chest X-ray. All seemed sound."

Serena just stared back at him. Everything he said was correct, but as a student he should know better than to do a procedure on a patient without supervision. "Fredrick," she said sternly. "This patient had a pneumothorax. You shouldn't have removed his tube until authorized to do so and even then, you should have waited for supervision."

"Mr Griffin said it should be removed today and he was in theatre."

"Then you should have fetched me. I know I don't have to tell you that if you removed the chest tube incorrectly, you could have allowed air bubbles to get into the wound which would cut off the supply of blood to the patient's lungs, heart, kidneys, brain . . ." she took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

"I have completed this procedure by myself many times before in Sweden, Ms Campbell. This patient did not die from that. He arrested within seconds of me removing the tube."

"Well, that may be, but for now, I need you to wait in my office while Mr Griffin and I discuss what happened," she motioned towards her office and waited for him to head in that direction before turning to Ric. "What do you think?"

"I've seen students dismissed for less," Ric watched as Fredrick took a seat in Serena's office, looking upset with himself.

"Yes, but he's right," Serena started, grabbing the patient's file and scanning through it. "He was perfectly ready for the tube to be removed. There is no reason his lung would have collapsed and even if it did, he would have given warning before arresting," she glanced at Chantelle.

"He did a really good job, Ms Campbell. I watched him and it was a fairly simple procedure."

"You shouldn't have let him do it," Serena snapped. "I'm going to have to contact Mr Hanssen and then the patient's family to let them know we'll need to perform a post mortem."

"Good luck with Henrik," Ric said grimly.

Serena groaned as she headed over to her office to fetch Fredrick. He looked like he had been summoned to his headmaster's office and she felt sorry for him, but angry with him at the same time. "Okay, this is quite serious," she started. "We're going to need to speak to Mr Hanssen to ensure that we're covered."

"Covered?"

"I don't know about Sweden, but in the United Kingdom, much like America, we have a tendency to sue other people."

Fredrick nodded. "I understand."

"Right, let me speak to him first and then I'll call you into his office. If he asks you a question, answer it directly and honestly. We should all be fine," she tried to smile at him reassuringly, but struggled. She had no way of knowing how Hanssen would react to this.

They both remained equally quiet as they made their way to his office. Serena took a deep breath before knocking on his door.

"Come in," Henrik called from inside.

"Wait out here until I come fetch you," she whispered before disappearing into Henrik's office.

"Ms Campbell, I wasn't expecting you," Henrik looked up from his computer screen.

"Yes, well," she frowned, trying to find the best way to explain to him what had happened on Kellar. "We've had a bit of an incident."

"What kind of incident?" Henrik looked at her, his face serious.

"Uh, well," she sighed. "It's Fredrick, really."

* * *

Fredrick felt as though he had been waiting an eternity. He didn't feel as though he had done anything wrong. He knew what he was doing and he thought that's what a good doctor was supposed to do; fix ailments. The patient's risk of infection would have been much higher had the chest tube stayed in.

Henrik's door opened and Serena peered around it. "You can come in now."

He quickly followed her in, glancing at Henrik who was staring down at his desk, his hands clasped together tightly.

"Have a seat," Serena motioned to the chairs in front of Hanssen's desk and waited for him to sit before taking a seat herself.

"Ms Campbell informs me you attempted a procedure by yourself without supervision. Is this correct?" Henrik asked sternly. He didn't care if Fredrick was his son, he would not tolerate the death of a patient due to incompetence in his hospital.

"I did not _attempt_ a procedure, Mr Hanssen," Fredrick looked him straight in the eye. "I _completed_ a procedure. And as I've informed Ms Campbell, I do not believe the patient's reaction was due to the procedure."

"Well we'll only know that after we receive the post mortem results," Henrik scolded. "And if I find out that his death was due to you trying to show off . . ."

"I do not need to _show off_," Fredrick retaliated, his eyes ablaze. "My record speaks for itself. I do not have to prove myself to anyone."

Serena sat back and watched the two of them. It was strange how similar they were, but she couldn't really say she knew the Swedish people all that well. Perhaps they were all like that.

"You will have to prove yourself to this hospital if you wish to keep working here."

Fredrick held Henrik's gaze. Both men seemed fired up.

"I think we should hold off on any accusations until we get the post mortem report. Also, I think Fredrick should continue shadowing and when I say shadowing, I mean absolutely no partaking of procedures _whatsoever_," she said, noticing the look on Fredrick's face. "At least until we get the post mortem results back."

"Consider yourself warned," Henrik said. "Ms Campbell is giving you a second chance."

Fredrick turned to Serena. "Thank _you_, Ms Campbell."

Serena just nodded, unsure of what else to say. It was strange for Henrik not to take responsibility for his staff. She expected him to put up a bit more of a fight. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"May I spend it in the wet lab?"

"Okay," Serena nodded, watching him leave. "What do you think?" She turned her attention to Henrik.

"I think he's foolish."

"Chantelle seems to think he did a very thorough job. By all accounts he's done this procedure before."

"And therefore he thinks he can sabotage his career in the UK? I think you should have a word with him – get him to understand he can't proceed as he has been."

"He made a mistake. He hasn't set a foot wrong in the last couple of days. If anything, he's been very helpful and even helped Mr Malick make a diagnosis."

Henrik nodded, watching her for a second before turning his attention back to his laptop. "I'll ensure the pathologist puts a rush on the report."

"Okay," Serena got up to leave. "He's not a bad kid; very intelligent, well mannered."

"That won't ensure the success of his future."

"Maybe not," she spoke softly as she closed the door behind her.

Henrik looked up from his desk. There was definitely a part of him that was proud of Serena's words regarding his son. But he was equally annoyed. Somehow his son had become like him; he thought he could run before he could even crawl. It was concerning. Henrik had managed to lose many friends by thinking he was better than them. Most of the time he was right, but still, he didn't always have to prove it.

* * *

"Good news," Serena called to Fredrick who was following Malick around on his bed checks.

Fredrick looked up at her expectantly.

"The post mortem result's in."

"After a day and a half?" Malick seemed surprised.

"Mr Hanssen put a rush on it," Serena replied with a glint in her eye. "It appears you had nothing to do with Mr Griffin's patient's death. It had nothing to with the pneumothorax or removal of his chest tube. He suffered a heart attack which is quite common amongst his family, apparently."

"I _told_ you it wasn't my procedure," Fredrick smiled.

"No, but you were still not authorized to do it," she turned to him. "You got lucky. Can you imagine what might have happened if the pathologist was unable to find a cause of death? The rest of your career would be in question."

Fredrick nodded, staring at the floor. "I have learnt my lesson, Ms Campbell. It won't happen again."

"Good," Serena smiled. "Now, onwards and upwards as a . . . _friend_ of mine used to say."

Fredrick seemed relieved. He didn't really show it outwardly, but anyone who knew him could tell a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The rest of the day seemed to flow without any serious problems and for that, Serena was thankful. The week had been difficult enough.

Serena smiled as she watched Chantelle Lane try to invite him out for drinks with the rest of the Kellar team. The boy was definitely shy. He was making excuses, trying to his best to get out of going with them.

"Fredrick," Serena waved him over to her.

He quickly excused himself with Chantelle and approached Serena. "Ms Campbell?"

"Why don't you go out with them?"

Fredrick glanced back at Chantelle and Malick. "I'm completing research tonight."

"Take the night off," she smiled. "A young man like you needs to spread his wings; go out, have fun . . . get drunk."

"I have no need to get drunk, Ms Campbell," he smiled shyly.

Serena was genuinely surprised by the young man's refusal to do what most twenty four years olds did every night. "It would be advantageous to go with them; make contacts. And maybe even friends."

"Do _you_ want me to go?"

Serena smiled at his question. "_I_ want you to unwind. Take the night off of your studies and just have some _fun_."

Fredrick nodded, hesitating as he turned away from her. "Are you going?"

"Unfortunately, I _really_ do have work to do," she sighed.

"Is Mr Hanssen going?"

The question took Serena by surprise. The boy seemed genuinely concerned. "Mr Hanssen will no doubt be looming through the corridors and glaring at people. He doesn't really _do_ nights out."

"I see."

"You'll be safe," she smiled at him. "Now go tell Nurse Lane that you'd love to take her up on her offer."

"Yes, ma'am," Fredrick smiled, heading back to Chantelle who was speaking to a patient.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the young man stand back shyly before letting Chantelle know that he would be joining them. She felt her mobile vibrate against her hip and quickly reached into her pocket. It was the reception area of Wyvern. "Hello?"

"Ms Campbell, sorry to bother you, but we have a journalist here to see you."

"A journalist?" She asked, feeling a bit concerned. She wondered if she should contact Hanssen to let him know.

"Yes."

"I'll be right there," she hung up. This was never a good sign. The last time they had journalists showing up was during the fiasco from the non-referrals policy from which a man had died. She headed down to Wyvern, acutely aware of the knot forming in her stomach. She immediately noticed the journalist just outside the entrance. Owen Maxwell. He was from the Wyvern Post and had caused some serious trouble for Hanssen in the past. She needed to ensure Hanssen didn't see him anywhere.

"Can I help you?" She asked, stepping out into the cold air.

"Ms Campbell?"

"You _know_ who I am," she snapped.

Owen smirked at her annoyance.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I thought it would be best to contact you instead of Mr Hanssen."

"Mr Hanssen would most certainly ignore you if you tried to contact him," she glanced over her shoulder to make certain that he wasn't standing anywhere nearby. He had a tendency to sneak up on people when they least expected it.

"I hear you've just recently hired a student from Sweden," Owen said.

Serena shot him a suspicious look. "What's it to you?"

"Perhaps you'd like to discuss this more privately?"

Serena would normally tell the hack where to go, but she was concerned and a little curious about him. She continued walking out in the cold air, motioning for him to follow her. She groaned inwardly as she realized how cold it was. She most definitely should have brought her coat. Rubbing her hands together to stay warm, she waited until there was a sufficient amount of distance between them and the prying ears of Holby.

"I'm interested in a running a story about nepotism."

"Excuse me?" Serena turned to face him.

"I think my readers would be interested to hear how the Director of Surgery of Holby General has not only hired his son, but also covered up for him when he killed a patient."

Serena just stared back at the man. What was he talking about? "I'm confused."

"Don't tell me you didn't know."

"Know _what_?"

"Your placement student is the son of Henrik Hanssen."

Serena burst out laughing. "That's a good one. You nearly had me there. Did Michael Spence put you up to this?" She glanced around, almost expecting Michael to be standing around with a camcorder.

The journalist stared back at her.

"Look, I don't know where you get your information from, but you couldn't be more wrong," she finally said, realizing that Owen wasn't kidding.

"How about a birth certificate naming Henrik Hanssen as the father of someone called Fredrick Johansson?"

This caught Serena's attention. "And you have access to this birth certificate, do you?"

"I can get access to it."

"Well, when you do, give me a call," Serena snapped, heading straight back to the entrance.

"It'll make for some great reading."

"Not if it's a complete fabrication," she called back over her shoulder. Once inside, she tried to maintain her usual demeanour even though she almost felt sick inside. If there was any truth to this, it could not only tarnish the hospital's reputation, but could bring them all crashing down like a house of cards.


	3. Chapter 3

Serena had narrowly avoided running into Fredrick and the rest of Kellar as she made her way up to Henrik's office. She was furious. If it was true and Henrik knew about Fredrick, then he had placed both himself _and_ her in a compromising position. The press would have a field day.

Henrik was just about to leave for the day and was locking up his office when he heard Serena's voice behind him.

"You and I need to talk," she said sternly.

"Ms Campbell?"

"Don't you '_Ms Campbell_' me," she hissed, almost pushing her way into his office.

"I was about to ask if this could wait until tomorrow, but I fear I would stand the chance of locking you in my office," he said as he closed the door behind him, his keys still in his hand.

"I want the truth and I want it now."

"I'm not entirely sure what . . ."

"Fredrick Johansson," she said, watching his face change from annoyance to surprise. "He's your _son_."

Henrik paused, watching Serena closely. He did not know how to react or what to say. Instead he walked passed her to the window, staring out into the darkness.

"Please tell me you didn't know he was coming here. Please tell me you didn't knowingly allow me to accept him to work at Holby."

"I didn't _know_ he was coming," Henrik said in a whisper.

Serena watched the silhouetted figure by the window. He seemed strangely unsure of himself; definitely not the man she had come to know. "But when you saw him . . ."

"How did you find out?" Henrik finally turned from the window to face her. "No doubt you employed one of your _spies_ to dig up some dirt on my life."

"I didn't _have_ to," Serena snapped back. "Owen Maxwell from the Wyvale Post contacted me today and questioned me on your 'relationship'. Apparently he's interested in running a story on how Holby City's Director of Surgery allows his son to run wild in the ward's corridors, screwing up and killing patients in the process," she paused to take a breath, realizing that she was speaking more out of anger than out of concern for the hospital.

"That is most certainly not the case."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more. No one here would allow it, but it's out there and we need to figure out a way to deal with it."

"Does he have any proof?"

"He claims to have access to a birth certificate with your name on it."

Henrik stared at the floor. Maja had never mentioned putting his name on the birth certificate. He would have assumed she would have put Nils down as the father. He wasn't even sure Maja had ever mentioned him to Fredrick. From his reaction in Kellar, she must have told him _something_.

"Look, I can appreciate you have a strange, perhaps sordid history, but I will not allow you to drag me into it. I was perfectly happy respecting your privacy but now," she took another breath. "Now we're all in hot water because you didn't deem it necessary to inform me that Fredrick is your son."

"I didn't realize he was coming to the UK until the day he arrived. I wasn't sure it was him."

"You don't know your own _son_?" Serena rolled her eyes.

"I . . . gave him up before he was born."

"What does that even mean?" She sighed, throwing herself down in the chair opposite his desk.

"I left his mother to care for him. I was young, inexperienced and most certainly not ready for fatherhood."

"And your girlfriend _was_?" Serena said it more sarcastically than she had intended and she could immediately tell that in that instant, Henrik had shut down on her. "I'm sorry," she quickly said. "I didn't mean to . . . this has nothing to do with me. I'm sure you had your reasons."

Henrik nodded, glancing out the window again. He could understand her anger towards him. She was after all a single mother herself. She had no doubt experienced the difficulties in dealing with a child by herself.

"What do you want me to do about Owen?"

"I will handle him," Henrik said without looking at her.

"And Fredrick?"

He spun around to face her. "He will continue with his placement as planned. There is no reason to drag him into this."

"Well, he's kind of already been dragged into it," Serena said softly. "At least if he knows what's happening, he won't get blind sided . . . like I was."

Henrik knew she was right. He couldn't expect the journalist to leave his son out of this. He would almost certainly go straight to him for a reaction. "Is he still here?"

"He's gone down to Albie's with the rest of Kellar."

"I'll go find him," Henrik said as he headed towards the door.

"Uh, hold on," Serena went after him. "I don't think you should go by yourself."

"Ms Campbell, I appreciate you were angered by being 'blind-sided', but this is a personal matter."

"And you don't think it would look just slightly suspicious if you turn up at Albie's? What are you going to do? Drag him out?"

"I will request that he join me outside."

"That's just silly," she huffed, jogging down the corridor after him. "He didn't exactly have the best reaction towards you the first time or the second time for that matter."

"Ms Campbell!" Henrik barked.

Serena waited for him to regain his composure before she spoke. "Let _me_ speak to him."

"I don't see how that would . . ."

"Just trust me on this," she held his gaze. "Neither of us needs any bad press right now. Holby is in a fragile state. I've had more to do with Fredrick than you have and I feel he responds better to me than . . . well . . . to you . . . to be frank," her gaze waivered and she found herself staring down at the floor.

"I will accompany you."

"But," she tried to hide the look of horror from her face. "You never go to Albie's."

"There's a first time for everything," Henrik said as he held the lift open for her.

"Might it not look a tad bit suspicious though?"

"If anyone asks, I'll just tell them you forced me to go."

Serena's head snapped around to look at him. "They'll never fall for it."

"Oh, I think they might."

"This is going to be interesting," she sighed. "So," she started.

"Cold day today," Henrik said.

Serena tried to suppress her smile. "Yes."

* * *

Serena had managed to push her way through the crowd of smokers outside Albie's, hoping Henrik was a couple of paces behind her. She wasn't entirely sure how he was going to react in this situation. Glancing over at the bar, she noticed Malick buying everyone shots of tequila. Fredrick looked completely out of his element, but he had clearly had a drink. He's eyes looked slightly glazed.

She stopped short as she noticed Michael Spence join the group. Henrik walked straight into her, grabbing her arm to stop her from toppling over. She caught a knowing look off of some woman to her right. It wouldn't annoy her if she had actually been drinking. "Okay, I think we should abort this mission," she whispered back to Henrik who was watching the group of hospital workers carefully.

"Nonsense," Henrik said. "We can just ask him to excuse himself."

"Michael Spence is there," Serena motioned towards the group.

"And why does this affect matters?"

"Because Michael Spence will not rest until he knows why we're about to drag Fredrick out of here," Serena hissed. "No, we're too late. We'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."

Henrik nodded. He could see where she was coming from. The last thing they needed was the whole hospital finding out, but there was a part of him that was curious to see how Fredrick reacted to this kind of environment. "Glass of wine?"

Serena just stared back at him, dumbstruck. "Okay, please," she finally smiled, watching him make his way to the bar and order them both a glass of wine. She knew she had to use her poker face but she was genuinely surprised that the man even drank alcohol. In many ways, she thought of him as some kind of Swedish-Tibetan monk. She glanced over at the group and tried to hide behind a rather large man in front of her. The last thing she needed was to be dragged over there. And she was well aware of Michael's ability to drink most of Holby's workers under the table. She was not about to be challenged by him.

"Shall we hide?" Henrik asked with amusement as he handed Serena's glass to her, watching as she gave the man in front of her an apologetic smile as he noticed her behind him.

"I think that's probably for the best," she answered, gently guiding him to her favourite little spot in the corner. They took a seat and both tried to see if they could still see Michael, Fredrick and the rest of them. "I didn't know you drank," Serena heard herself saying as she sipped her glass of red wine.

"I don't usually enjoy making a show of it at work, as you can rightfully understand," he smiled.

"I didn't mean that," she chuckled. "I _meant_ you don't seem the type to go out for a drink."

"I've never particularly felt the need to."

"I don't know why I was _as_ surprised about Fredrick as I was," Serena said, watching as Henrik focused his attention on her. "He's a lot like you actually. Apart from the fact that he doesn't go out of his way to annoy me," she smiled.

"I apologize for placing you in this position, Ms Campbell. It was never my intention."

"I believe you," she nodded. She was being sincere. She knew he would never willingly place them in a damaging position; especially not one that would bring bad press for Holby.

"Well, it's not an early night as I had hoped," Henrik said, glancing around them.

"No," Serena answered. "And I don't think it's going to get any better," she said as she watched Michael force Fredrick to down another shot. He was already looking worse for wear.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Henrik said.

"No, no. We're a team," she smiled. "That, and my daughter's visiting her grandparents this weekend which means I'm all alone . . . again. Teenagers should be banned from having a life," she laughed.

"I can imagine it must be challenging as a single mother."

Serena suddenly became serious. "It's no walk in the park."

"I'm sure you do all you can for your daughter."

This was not a subject Serena was comfortable with and quickly moved on to hospital business. They were still deep in discussion after a few hours when they noticed Fredrick stumble out with his coat in his hands.

"I think this is our chance," Serena said as they both got up and tried very discreetly to make their way out without anyone seeing them.

"Hey! Serena! Mr H!" Michael shouted from the bar.

"Just keep walking," she hissed to Henrik.

"Would that not be construed as being a tad bit rude?"

"He's drunk, Henrik, he's not going to remember it tomorrow morning!" She answered, grabbing him by his arm and pulling him towards the exit, only realizing that she'd called him by his first name when it was too late. She wasn't about to apologize for it.

They both made it outside and desperately looked around for Fredrick. "There," Serena pointed to a lonely figure stumbling down the street. They both jogged after him. "Fredrick," she called out.

The young man turned to look at her, his eyes completely glazed.

"You're not planning on walking home, are you?" She asked as they both caught up to him.

"I'm sure it won't take me too long," he said, slurring his words.

"Don't you live half way across town? Uh, yeah, I think it might be good idea if I gave you a lift," Serena said, gently taking his arm.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He asked Henrik.

"Mr Hanssen and I were just concerned for your wellbeing," Serena answered for Henrik. "Where are you going?" She asked Henrik who was walking away from them.

"I'm sure the last thing Fredrick needs is me _annoying_ him."

"You are not seriously going to leave me to take him home? By myself?"

Henrik sighed heavily before deciding he really did need to help her, even if Fredrick didn't _want_ him helping. "I can take him in my car."

"No, it's fine," Serena said. "I just need your help getting him into my car."

They reached the car park and Serena was just about to unlock the door when Fredrick said he felt sick and politely threw up on her. "Are you kidding me?" Serena nearly shouted, looking in horror down at her coat.

"Ms Campbell," Henrik said with a hint of embarrassment and amusement. "I am so sorry."

"Right, that's it; we're taking _your_ car," she pushed Fredrick towards the tall man's vehicle which was parked quite close to her own.

Henrik helped her get Fredrick in the back seat. They both were looking around to ensure no one was watching them. Serena climbed into the passenger's seat and watched Henrik's confused look as he got into the driver's seat.

"You don't think I'm getting into _my_ car with _your _son's puke on me, do you?"

"And will I be driving you back to work tomorrow morning?" Henrik asked.

"No, I'll get a cab."

"Right," Henrik nodded as he started the engine and reversed out of his parking, heading towards the exit. "Where does Fredrick live?"

Serena glanced back at Fredrick in the back seat. "Uh, Fredrick?"

"You don't know where he lives?" Henrik asked incredulously.

"I didn't really expect him to become comatose," Serena hissed as she tried to reach around to wake Fredrick up to no avail.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Henrik asked, watching her grimace as she pulled her coat off and rolled it up into a ball.

"Well, we can't leave him in the car," Serena huffed.

"I don't suppose he'd be too pleased if he woke up at my place," Henrik sighed.

Serena remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I suppose he can stay at my place tonight. We have a guest room and Eleanor's not home."

"I don't want him imposing on you."

"Henrik," Serena heard herself say. "It's nearly two in the morning. I'm exhausted, you're exhausted; your son's passed out. Can we please just get to my place and deal with the repercussions tomorrow morning?"

"Very well," Henrik nodded. "You direct me and I'm sure I'll remember how to get back to your place tomorrow morning."

"Uh," Serena held her hands up. "You're dumping him at my house and leaving?"

"Well, you're not suggesting I actually _stay over_, are you?" He asked in horror.

Under normal circumstances, Serena would be offended, but this was Henrik Hanssen, after all. "No, I suppose it would give me time to speak with him about the whole press issue."

"Indeed," Hanssen nodded.

"I'll call you when he deed is done."

"Thank you."

Serena huffed in reply, glancing at her rolled up coat.

"And I'll take your coat to the dry cleaners."

"No, it's fine," Serena protested.

"It's the least I can do," he said firmly. In truth, he was dreading Fredrick speaking to Serena. His personal life had always remained private and he did not like that being taken away from him. But he knew Fredrick would not want to speak to him.

Little did he know how much Serena was dreading her little chat with Fredrick.


End file.
